{"product_id":"the-great-extinctions-what-causes-them-and-how-they-shape-life","title":"The Great Extinctions: What Causes Them and How They Shape Life","description":"\u003cp\u003eA fascinating history of species extinctions  their causes and the looming \"sixth extinction\". It is the central issue for this generation. Respected journals and popular publications worldwide pose the question  call the warning: \"Are we in the middle of a sixth mass extinction?\" (Science)  \"Multitude of species face climate threat\" (The New York Times)  \"The sixth great extinction: a silent extermination\" (National Geographic). Of the 1-3 billion species estimated to have appeared during Earths history  only 12.5 million exist today. Geologists know that species extinction is as natural a process as species evolution. They also know that the rate of extinction in the geological past has not been constant. On at least five occasions in Earths history  extinction intensities have spiked well above the normal level. For over a century  geologists have tried to conclusively identify and understand the processes responsible for the complex  fluctuating history of species extinction through the millennia. This has become even more important over the last decade as human populations and technology may now rival sea-level change  volcanic eruptions and asteroid impacts as an extinction mechanism. Will there be a sixth Extinction? When? What will cause it? The Great Extinctions explores the history of this search  its subjects  its controversies  its current conclusions  and their implications for our efforts to preserve Earths biodiversity. It explains what extinction is  what causes it and whether it is preventable  and by comparing past geological extinction events  it aims to predict what will happen in the future. Author Norman MacLeod covers this compelling topic in a concise  easy-to-read style with illustrations and diagrams throughout. He examines a controversial subject with universal implications  which will fascinate a wide readership with interests in geology  prehistory  the environment  endangered species  conservation  wildlife  biodiversity  climate change  zoology  botany  invasive species and more. The Great Extinctions is an essential choice for an informed contemporary readership.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44964320542773,"sku":"ByrdShop_1770851879","price":92.65,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781770851870.jpg?v=1770465389","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-great-extinctions-what-causes-them-and-how-they-shape-life","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}